A Genius In The World Of Conan

Chapter 24: Stay Away from That Akikawa

"That concludes our discussion on insurance and inheritance. Akikawa-san, do you have any other questions?"

Midori Kuriyama placed both hands on the hem of her suit skirt and looked at Akikawa Kousuke as she asked.

"My mother was the primary party at fault in this multi-car accident, right? How will the compensation be calculated?"

"You don’t have to worry about that," Midori Kuriyama reassured him. "Although the chain collision was triggered by your mother’s sudden braking, according to Japanese law, Akikawa-san, you are only responsible for compensating the vehicle directly behind hers."

"As for the other vehicles involved in the pile-up, their respective rear drivers will be responsible for their own damages."

"Besides, Ryoko-san had an automobile liability insurance policy, so a portion of the compensation will be covered by the insurance."

As she spoke, Midori Kuriyama suddenly stood up slightly and cast a quick glance at the lawyer sitting in the center of the office—Kisaki Eri.

After confirming that Eri was still focused on her paperwork, seemingly not paying attention to their conversation, Midori Kuriyama leaned in slightly, cupped her hand near her face, and lowered her voice as she spoke to Akikawa Kousuke in a hushed tone:

"Actually, Ryoko-san is the one responsible for the accident—not you. Do you understand, Akikawa-san?"

Akikawa Kousuke looked at her, slightly surprised.

The lawyer in front of him, who had been calm and professional, had suddenly taken on a conspiratorial air.

Midori Kuriyama continued in a whisper:

"The compensation from the accident is Ryoko-san's debt—it has nothing to do with you."

"From my assessment, Ryoko-san did not own any property, and her savings are probably not substantial, so her estate won’t be enough to cover the compensation costs."

"So, if you choose to renounce your inheritance, you won’t have to bear any of this debt from the accident."

"This way, you can maximize your own financial benefits."

After finishing her explanation, Midori Kuriyama glanced nervously at Kisaki Eri again.

Then, she awkwardly coughed twice and sat back up straight, returning to her usual professional demeanor.

"Ahem— Anyway, that’s the situation. The decision is entirely up to you, Akikawa-san," she said, her polite and composed smile returning. "I am simply here to carry out my client’s requests."

Ding!

At that moment, a familiar mechanical chime echoed in Akikawa Kousuke’s mind.

A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.

[Faced with compensation exceeding your mother’s estate, what will you choose?]

1. Inherit the estate and pay the compensation.
Reward: Recovery Card x1

2. Renounce the inheritance and maximize your benefits.
Reward: Physique +3

Akikawa Kousuke didn’t hesitate much before making his decision.

According to Midori Kuriyama, he would only need to cover the damages for the car directly behind his mother’s, and after insurance deductions, the remaining amount wouldn't be too burdensome.

With the large sum of insurance money he was about to receive, this compensation wouldn’t be a significant issue.

More importantly, the Recovery Card being offered as a reward was something he needed right now.

So, without further thought, Akikawa Kousuke made his choice:

"Thank you for your advice, Kuriyama-san. I've decided to inherit my mother’s estate."

"Understood," Midori Kuriyama replied, nodding slightly.

At the same time, she thought to herself:

‘Akikawa-san is truly a kind person…’

After thanking Midori Kuriyama, Akikawa Kousuke took her business card and prepared to leave.

Midori Kuriyama printed out a travel route map and directions from the nearest station to Akikawa’s apartment, placing them inside a folder along with other necessary documents before handing them to him.

She walked him to the entrance, and after watching him descend the stairs and disappear from sight, she finally returned to the office.

However—

The moment she stepped back inside, she saw her mentor, the woman known as the "Queen of the Courtroom"—Kisaki Eri—gazing at her sharply.

"Eh?! Sensei, what’s wrong?"

Midori Kuriyama nearly jumped in fright, thinking that her whispered advice to Akikawa Kousuke had been overheard.

But before she could explain herself, Kisaki Eri spoke first, her tone serious:

"Midori… where did you receive this client’s case from?"

And before Midori Kuriyama could answer—

Kisaki Eri narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself…

"Just cleared as a suspect? That means he was a suspect before..."

"Could it be that Kudo had Ran contact you for help?"

"Eh—?!"

Midori Kuriyama jumped in surprise again.

Her mentor was always like this—seeing through everything effortlessly.

And when Kisaki Eri saw Midori's reaction, she knew she had hit the mark.

"Since you've already accepted the case, you need to finish it," Eri said.

"But, Midori, you don’t need to go out of your way to please the client. Just get the job done and stay away from that Akikawa."

"Why?"

Midori Kuriyama was confused.

From their brief interaction, Akikawa Kousuke didn’t seem like a bad person at all.

"Think about it. The Akikawa family had no house, no savings, the mother was doing odd jobs, and the son doesn’t seem very capable of working either."

"In that situation, how could someone afford to purchase two life insurance policies with such high death benefits?"

"Uh… that’s…"

Midori Kuriyama finally sensed something off.

"You should know that in standard life insurance, the payout is usually set at ten times the insured person’s pre-tax annual income."

"Yet even after the automobile liability insurance covers most of the accident’s compensation, Akikawa still can’t afford to pay the rest. That suggests his mother's annual income was probably under 2.5 million yen."

"But despite struggling financially, she somehow bought over 75 million yen worth of life insurance?"

"What kind of joke is that?"

Midori Kuriyama finally grasped the implication behind Kisaki Eri’s words.

Akikawa Ryoko had clearly lied about her income when purchasing insurance—and she had taken out policies far beyond her financial means.

Her face grew pale.

"No… but Akikawa-san has already been cleared as a suspect, hasn’t he? Maybe… maybe Ryoko-san did it for—"

"Are you trying to say the mother took her own life just to ensure her son would get the payout?"

Kisaki Eri let out a sigh.

"That’s a nice theory, but it’s impossible—at least, not in this case."

"Midori, have you already forgotten how Japanese life insurance death payouts work?"

At that moment, Midori Kuriyama suddenly remembered, her face turning to one of utter shock.

"Suicide isn’t covered within the first three years of an insurance policy!"

"Exactly."

"You yourself just said that the 45-million-yen life insurance policy is still in the early claim period—which means his mother couldn’t have purchased it intending to commit suicide."

"That leaves only two possibilities:"

"Either Akikawa Kousuke himself took out the policy on his mother…"

"Or his mother somehow knew—five or six years in advance—that she was going to be murdered."

"Either way, the safest choice for you is to stay away from that Akikawa."

"O-okay..."

Midori Kuriyama, her face now filled with disbelief, fell silent.

Meanwhile, Kisaki Eri couldn't help but think of Kudo Shinichi.

"It's not that I doubt Kudo’s deductions... but I refuse to let the people around me walk into danger."

"But Sensei, now that you mention it…"

"Hmm?"

"Don’t you think Akikawa looked kind of familiar?"

"Now that you say it… he does, doesn’t he?"

Hearing Midori's sudden, out-of-the-blue remark, Kisaki Eri also fell into deep thought.